Mandarin for 临时住宿登记 (línshí zhùsù dēngjì)

Hotels register you. A flat, a friend's spare room, or a relative's place does not. China's Exit and Entry Administration Law, article 39, says a foreigner staying somewhere other than a hotel — or the person putting them up — must register with the local public security organ within 24 hours of arrival.

That desk is usually the neighbourhood 派出所 (pàichūsuǒ), sometimes the exit-entry window. It is not a tourist police photo stop. It is the city writing that you sleep at this address.

The Mandarin residency phrase page has the short lines for the queue. This is the registration. The National Immigration Administration states the 24-hour rule and the online pilot in its policy interpretation and the Chinese-language explainer. From 20 March 2026 a pilot lets you file online in Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing and Sichuan via the NIA site, the 12367 app, or the WeChat / Alipay mini programs. Shanghai and other cities outside the pilot still expect the station unless they tell you otherwise. Call 12367 if you are unsure.

Before you go

Bring the passport, the visa or residence permit, the lease or a note from the host, and the host's ID if they are coming with you. The host can file. You can file. Someone has to file within a day.

• 我想办理住宿登记。 (wǒ xiǎng bànlǐ zhùsù dēngjì) — I want to register my lodging.
• 我不是住在旅馆。 (wǒ bú shì zhù zài lǚguǎn) — I am not staying in a hotel.
• 需要先预约吗？ (xūyào xiān yùyuē ma) — Do I need an appointment first?
• 我带了租房合同。 (wǒ dài le zūfáng hétong) — I brought the rental contract.

If you are in a pilot province, try the NIA “外国人服务” (wàiguó rén fúwù) lodging module first. Online registration has the same legal effect as the window.

At the 派出所 (pàichūsuǒ)

你好。 (nǐ hǎo) Say why you are there in one sentence. They will ask the address and who owns the keys.

• 需要哪些文件？ (xūyào nǎxiē wénjiàn) — What documents do I need?
• 我看不懂这份表格。 (wǒ kàn bu dǒng zhè fèn biǎogé) — I do not understand this form.
• 您能说慢一点吗？ (nín néng shuō màn yìdiǎn ma) — Could you speak a little more slowly?
• 请帮我写一下地址。 (qǐng bāng wǒ xiě yíxià dìzhǐ) — Please help me write the address.

Do not start with the story of the flight. They have heard it.

What you leave with

Ask for the registration record or a photo of the completed form. The next office that asks where you live will want that, not your memory of the visit.

• 我来取证明。 (wǒ lái qǔ zhèngmíng) — I am here to collect the certificate.
• 可以给我一份登记记录吗？ (kěyǐ gěi wǒ yí fèn dēngjì jìlù ma) — Can I have a copy of the registration record?

A 派出所 (pàichūsuǒ) visit is short if the folder is complete. The Mandarin that matters is: I need lodging registration, I am not in a hotel, here is the contract, please speak more slowly.